Atantic City Electric

[fgalati]

My electric company is going to shut my electric off if I pay them $ 4000.00 cash by 5-27, they will not work with me at all, when I talk to them on the phone they tell me that is there position and they will NOT change it, PLEASE can someone HELP ME.
It's ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC

 

[army judge]

My electric company is going to shut my electric off if I pay them $ 4000.00 cash by 5-27, they will not work with me at all, when I talk to them on the phone they tell me that is there position and they will NOT change it, PLEASE can someone HELP ME.
It's ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC

You can contact The Board of Public Utilities - BPU.

Learn their phone number by heart - 800-624-0241 or 973-648-2350.

They are your first line of defense, outside of the electric company.

Try them immediately, and see if they can get the utility to work with you.

Here are some more tips from a consumer advocate website.

25% Rule
Now let me introduce what I call the 25% Rule. On the back of every shutoff notice is a statement. The wording mentions the right to enter into a payment agreement with the utility company. The statement of your rights does not spell out your ability to avoid a shutoff by paying just 1/4 of the bill. Example: the bill is for $500, the bill says you must pay $400. The customer service rep says $400. Instead of accepting his statement or demand, ask him about the 25% rule. Under this rule you could pay $125 to avoid the shutoff.

Deferred Payment Plans

You may wish to read a small section of the regulations that pertain to deferred payment arrangements. It discusses in detail the 25% Rule. It reads as follows:

14:3-7.13 Disputes as to bills
(c) Whenever a residential customer advises the utility that the customer wishes to discuss a deferred payment agreement because said customer is presently unable to pay a total outstanding bill, the utility shall make a good faith effort to provide the customer with an opportunity to enter into a fair and reasonable deferred payment agreement(s) which takes into consideration the customer's financial circumstances. In negotiating such a deferred payment agreement(s), a residential customer may not be required to pay, as a down-payment, more than 25 percent of the total outstanding bill due at the time the agreement(s) is made or executed. In the case of a residential customer who received more than one utility service from the same utility and the amount which is in arrears is a combination of those services, the utility shall offer a separate deferred payment agreement for each service based on the outstanding balance for that service prior to any proposed discontinuance for nonpayment. The utility shall not require such a customer to accept two or more deferred agreements that extend over the same time period. The customer shall have the option to enter into a deferred payment agreement(s) and have the remaining service(s) disconnected until satisfactory arrangements for payment can be made. A utility shall renegotiate and/or amend the deferred payment agreement of a residential customer if said customer demonstrates that his or her financial circumstances have changed significantly because of factors beyond his or her control.

(d) Such agreements which extend for more than two months shall be in writing and shall provide that a customer who is presently unable to pay an outstanding debt for utility services may make reasonable periodic payments until the debt is liquidated while continuing payment of current bills. While a deferred payment agreement for each separate service need not be entered into more than once a year, the utility may offer more than one such agreement in a year. The Board may order a utility to accept more than one deferred payment agreement in a year if said action is reasonable. If the customer defaults on any of the terms of the agreement, the utility may discontinue service after providing the customer with a notice of discontinuance. In the case of a residential customer who receives more than one utility service from the same utility and has subsequently entered into a separate agreement for each separate service, default on one such agreement shall constitute grounds for discontinuance of only that service.

Medical Emergency

Residential service cannot be discontinued for nonpayment if a medical emergency exists. The regulations, located at N.J.A.C. 14:3-3.6(d), read as follows:

Discontinuance of residential service for nonpayment is prohibited if a medical emergency exists within the premises which would be aggravated by a discontinuance of service and the customer gives reasonable proof of inability to pay. Discontinuance shall be prohibited for a period of up to two months when a customer submits a physician's statement, in writing, to the utility as to existence of the emergency, its nature and probable duration, and that termination of service will aggravate the medical emergency. Recertification by the physician as to a continuance of the medical emergency shall be submitted to the utility after 30 days. However, at the end of such period of emergency, the customer shall still remain liable for payment of service(s) rendered, subject to the provisions of N.J.A.C. 14:3-7.13. During the period of medical emergency, the customer shall pay telephone tolls which are in excess of the average bills of the six months preceding the first 30-day period.

1. The Board may extend the 60-day period for good cause. Such an extension shall be requested in writing by the customer and be accompanied by a current physician's note. Pending the Board's consideration and decision, utility service shall not be discontinued.

2. Public utilities may in their discretion delay discontinuance of residential service for nonpayment prior to submission of the physician's statement required by this subsection when a medical emergency is known to exist.

http://www.njcommunityresources.info/utility_shutoff.html